How to grow a glacier - M Jackson

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: SF Huang

In the 13th Century,

在十三世紀，

Genghis Khan embarked on a mission to take over Eurasia,

成吉思汗展現統治歐亞大陸的野心，

swiftly conquering countries and drawing them into his expanding Mongol Empire.

他迅速地征服各個國家

並將它們納入擴張中的蒙古帝國版圖。

With his vast armies he became almost unstoppable.

他所率領的百萬雄兵， 幾乎是所向無敵。

But, legend has it that there was one obstacle

但，據說讓人敬畏的成吉思汗

that even the impressive Khan couldn’t overcome:

也有一個無法克服的障礙：

A towering wall of ice,

一片高聳的冰牆，

grown by locals across a mountain pass

由當地人沿著山路所建，

to stop the Khan’s armies from invading their territory.

以阻止成吉思汗軍隊的入侵。

No one knows how historically accurate that particular story is,

沒有人知道這段歷史故事的正確性，

but remarkably, it draws on fact:

但值得注意的是， 它借鑑了一個事實：

For centuries, in the Karakoram and Himalayan mountain ranges,

數世紀以來，在喀拉崑崙山脈 及喜馬拉雅山脈中，

people have been growing glaciers and using these homemade bodies of ice

居民都會培育冰河， 並用這些自製的冰塊

as sources of drinking water and irrigation for their crops.

當作飲用水及灌溉作物的來源。

But before we get to that fascinating phenomenon,

但在我們開始談這個很炫的現象之前，

it’s important to understand the difference between

很重要的一點是要了解

glaciers that grow in the wild,

自然生成的冰河 與人造的冰河有何不同。

and those that humans create.

In the wild,

大自然所孕育的冰河， 需具備三個條件：

glaciers require three conditions to grow:

Snowfall, cold temperatures, and time.

下雪、低溫以及時間。

First, a great deal of snow falls and accumulates.

首先，要有大量的降雪以及積雪。

Cold temperatures then ensure that the stacked up snow

接著，低溫可以確保堆積起來的雪

persists throughout the winter, spring, summer, and fall.

能挺過冬天、春天、夏天及秋天。

Over the following years, decades, and centuries,

在後續的數年、數十年、數世紀，

the pressure of the accumulated snow

積雪的壓力

transforms layers into highly compacted glacial ice.

將堆積成層的雪轉變成密實的冰河。

Artificially growing a glacier,

然而，人工製造的冰河，

however, is completely different.

完全是另一回事。

At the confluence of three great mountain ranges,

在三座巨大山脈的匯流處，

the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush,

即喜馬拉雅、喀拉崑崙 及興都庫什三座山脈，

some local cultures have believed for centuries that glaciers are alive.

有些當地文化數世紀以來 都相信冰河是活的。

And what’s more,

不只如此，

that certain glaciers can have different genders including male and female.

某些冰河還有不同的性別， 包括雄性和雌性。

Local Glacier Growers ‘breed’ new glaciers by grafting together—or marrying—

培育冰河的當地人 會為新的冰河做「育種」，

把雄性和雌性冰河的部分嫁接 在一起——或說讓它們結婚，

fragments of ice from male and female glaciers,

then covering them with charcoal, wheat husks, cloths, or willow branches

接著用木炭、小麥外殼、布 或柳樹樹枝將它們蓋起來，

so they can reproduce.

讓它們可以繁殖。

Under their protective coverings,

在覆蓋物的保護之下，

these glacierets transform into fully active glaciers

這些冰河會轉變成完全活躍的冰河，

that grow each year with additional snowfall.

每年都會隨著額外的降雪而成長。

Those then serve as lasting reserves of water

那些冰河就會變成永續的儲備水源，

that farmers can use to irrigate their crops.

農夫可以用來灌溉他們的作物。

These practices have spread to other cultures,

這些做法已傳播給其他的文化，

where people are creating their own versions of glaciers

其他文化又創造出 自己獨特的冰河版本，

and applying them to solve serious modern challenges around water supplies.

運用它們來解決現代供水的難題。

Take Ladakh, a high-altitude desert region in northern India.

以拉達克為例， 一塊海拔極高的沙漠區，

位在北印度。

It sits in the rain shadow of the Himalayas

它的位置剛好在 喜馬拉雅山的雨蔭中，

and receives on average fewer than ten centimeters of rain per year.

每年的平均降雨量還不到十公分。

As local glaciers shrink because of climate change,

氣候變遷造成當地的冰河縮小，

regional water scarcity is increasing.

地區性的缺水越來越頻繁。

And so, local people have started growing their own glaciers

所以，當地的人開始 培育他們自己的冰河，

as insurance against this uncertainty.

為不確定性的供水採取保險措施。

These glaciers come in two types: horizontal, and vertical.

這些冰河可以分為兩類： 水平的和垂直的。

Horizontal glaciers are formed when farmers redirect glacier meltwater

水平冰河的形成方式， 是由農夫將冰河融水重新導向

into channels and pipes,

進入水道和管線中，

then carefully siphon it off into a series of basins made from stones and earth.

接著小心地將它們虹吸至 一連串用石頭和泥土製成的池中。

Villagers minutely control the release of water into these reservoirs,

村民時時刻刻在控制 水流入這些貯水池的流量，

waiting for each new layer to freeze

等新的一層冰結起來之後，

before filling the basin with another wave.

又會有新一波的水會注滿水池。

In early spring,

在早春時，

these frozen pools begin to melt,

這些結冰的池子會開始融化，

supplying villagers with irrigation for their fields.

供應村民田地所需要的灌溉用水。

Local people make vertical glaciers using the meltwater

當地人製造垂直冰河用的是融水，

from already-existing glaciers high above their villages.

融水來自村落上頭的既有冰河。

The meltwater enters channels that run downhill,

融水進入水道後流下山，

flowing until it reaches a crop site

一直到達作物種植地，

where it bursts forth from a pipe pointing straight into the air.

水會在種植地中從水管向空中噴出。

When winter temperatures dip,

當冬天的溫度下降時，

this water freezes as it arcs out of the pipe,

這些從水管以弧形噴出的水會結冰，

ultimately forming a 50 meter ice sculpture called a stupa,

最終會形成五十公尺的冰雕塔，

shaped like an upside-down ice cream cone.

形狀就像倒過來的冰淇淋蛋捲筒。

This inverted form minimizes the amount of surface area it exposes to the sun

這種上下顛倒的形狀， 讓它在春天和夏天時

in the spring and summer.

受到日曬的表面積達到最小。

That ensures that the mini-glacier melts slowly

這樣就能確保這條 迷你冰河會慢慢融化，

and provides a reliable supply of water to feed the farmers’ crops.

並提供可靠的水源給農夫的作物。

These methods may be ancient,

這些方法可能很古老，

but they’re becoming more relevant

但隨著氣候變遷在地球上肆虐，

as climate change takes its toll on our planet.

這些方法也變得越來越重要。

In fact, people are now growing their own glaciers in many regions beyond Ladakh.

事實上，在拉達克以外的許多地方 都有人們開始培育自己的冰河。

Swiss people, utilizing modern glacier growing technology,

瑞士人利用現代的冰河製造技術，

created their first stupa in 2016 in the Swiss Alps.

於 2016 年在瑞士阿爾卑斯山脈 創造出他們的第一座冰塔。

There are plans for over 100 more in villages in Pakistan,

另外還計畫要在巴基斯坦、哈薩克

及吉爾吉斯坦共和國的村落中 製造超過一百座冰塔。

Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Perhaps one day we’ll be able to harness our homegrown glaciers

也許有天我們能善用自家培育的冰河

well enough to build whole walls of ice–

來建立一座冰牆——

this time not for keeping people out,

只是這次不是用來阻擋敵人，

but to enable life in some of the planet’s harshest landscapes.

而是讓生命能生存在 地球上最嚴酷的地景上。